Paperback Book Covers

I saw THIS paperback book cover on Etsy last week and loved the design so much I bought it from Kim's shop. I love listening to audio books, but lately I've been reading to fall asleep faster.

I was going to make one myself, but really liked her unique design so I just bought one of hers. Then, I thought about all the different paperback book sizes there are now (when did that happen?) and decided to look for a free pattern online and make one too. But, I couldn't stop at one and made three! - one is for a hardcover book.

It was fun looking through my fabric stash and coordinating fabric choices. I found the free pdf pattern to download HERE. And of course I made a few changes to it.

1. I didn't quilt mine. I used a heavy fleece as the "batting" (padding) instead and it worked great.

2. I top stitched all three of mine once I'd finished them for a neater look. You must check first though to see if your book will fit after you do that. You may decide not to do it or change how far you stitch in.

3. I turned in the tail of the bookmark and stitched it shut so there wouldn't be a raw edge.

4. And, I basted, basted, basted. Since you are pinning so much together before you stitch around the whole book holder, I basted everything together first. I did it piece by piece, building up the layers and then basted all those layers together before the final stitching. I don't see it as that much extra work to be able to sew fast and stress-free knowing it'll all look great when it's turned right side out.

5. After I used pinking shears on the long sides of the lining I did turn the edges under slightly and top stitched.

I hope all that makes sense. After reading my changes and editing them several times for clarity, I know why I hate writing out my own patterns for others to follow.